


down by the river (i was drawn by your grace)

by murdork



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode Tag - 1x10, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 00:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10685817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murdork/pseuds/murdork
Summary: What they do after leaving Jughead's party.





	down by the river (i was drawn by your grace)

**Author's Note:**

> for the past week all i've been thinking abt how HIGH joaquin's voice was in this ep... he's in love

  
They leave the party quietly amidst the group of drunk, put-out teenagers. Kevin's grumbling a bit too, but the way he smiles when Joaquin's hand works its way into his suggests he's not as upset as he looks. They're stumbling their way through the streets— not drunk, not even tipsy, it's just late— hand-in-hand. Joaquin can't think of a better way to be. FP's words are a distant, unpleasant memory but for now he pushes them aside as much as he can. There are more important things to think about. Such as the direction they're heading. Or the warmth emanating from Kevin's slow-growing smile.

"Where are we going?" Kevin asks. His tone is the slightest bit apprehensive, but there's no reluctance present in his movement. He trails slightly behind Joaquin, content to be gently hurried along.

"You'll see." He attempts mystery, but the grin tugging at his cheeks ruins it. He's positively giddy.

Here, in the quiet streets of Riverdale, far from FP and the Serpents and anyone else who may wish to cause them grief, Joaquin can smile all he wants. It's not hard to want to be around Kevin either.

"I'll see? What sort of nefarious things do you have planned?" Kevin laughs, both picking up on and fueling Joaquin's amusement.

He can't help himself. When they turn a corner he brings Kevin in for a short, searing kiss. It's reminiscent of their earlier activities, but he breaks away just as quickly, leaving Kevin wide-eyed in the light of a streetlamp.

"Nothing too nefarious, though—" he says, grabbing Kevin's hand and pulling when he doesn't move from his spot. "C'mon, suburbia's not the place for it."

He can sense Kevin's quirked eyebrow on his back, but he carries on until they reach the edge of the forest. Joaquin knows that if it were light out, there'd be a sign to their right that read—

Kevin gives him the look reserved for Archie Andrews. "All this for Sweet Water River? We could've driven." The look quickly dissipates into something softer, something better suited to his features.

"Walking is romantic," Joaquin offers.

Kevin's face melts completely, before he pulls at Joaquin's hand to envelope him in a kiss.

It's electric and Joaquin hasn't had a sip of alcohol all night but he swears he's intoxicated in that moment. Kevin's hands find their place at the front of his jacket, curling so tight he'll leave creases. Joaquin lets his own hands roam as they usually do. The bit of product in Kevin's hair does nothing to dissuade him from weaving his fingers through it, but he finds himself dropping a hand down to curve against Kevin's cheek.

There's no light at Sweet Water River, just a moon covered by clouds, but at this point they don't need it. He only wishes that when they eventually pull apart, he could see Kevin's face clearly. He still manages to get lost in the vague outline, the glint of eyes that stare right back into his, the delicate shape of Kevin's lips.

"God, you're cute." Joaquin can't help but say as Kevin leans in.

"Yeah?" Kevin mutters, now caught up with planting kisses along Joaquin's neck. "You're cute, too. Though—" his hands push at the shoulders of Joaquin's jacket. "You'd be cuter without this on."

He's embarrassed to admit how high his voice comes out— so high it's nearly a squeak— "yeah?"

Kevin doesn't reply, too busy removing Joaquin's jacket and working his kisses back to his mouth. He's not sure why he's surprised— this is Sweet Water River, this is what teens come here to do. It's certainly what Joaquin had in mind when he mentioned it earlier.

He kisses back with just as much enthusiasm, but makes no moves to start on Kevin's own jacket. He's perfectly content to rest his hands on his waist. Earlier on, he'd been surprised to find just how easy it was keep his hands from roaming too far. There'd been others things to do, like talk or watch a movie. At some points, it'd been the last thing on Joaquin's mind. He'd been too caught up in the way Kevin looked at him. Maybe it would've been smarter not to get so attached to the boy he was using to get close to his father, but it had been impossible to avoid.

"You don't strike me as the type to come down here." He says in a rare moment where their lips are parted.

Kevin's hands still and he looks a little incredulous. "Yeah, well, when you're the only out kid in school you take what you can get." He's taken to working on his own jacket, when Joaquin still hasn't made a move for it.

"Not that I'm settling!" He's quick to look back up at Joaquin. Even in the dim light he can see Kevin's desperation to reassure Joaquin. "Definitely not settling. I just meant that I used to."

Joaquin knew what he meant from the start, but it's nice to hear. He'd been shocked by the bitterness that worked its way into Kevin's voice at his flippant remark earlier. They haven't spoken much about their past relationships (not that there's anything to speak about on Joaquin's side) but he'd figured there must have been one boyfriend before him. Kevin's too good, too handsome, for Joaquin to be his first steady boyfriend.

Kevin's mind is still elsewhere. He pushes a few wayward strands of Joaquin's hair behind his ear, letting his fingertips rest on his jaw.

When he speaks his voice is soft, in awe. "Now I have you."

Joaquin's smile is no less wide than before but it feels more organic now. There's no giddiness pushing at the edge, just adoration for the boy in front of him. The laughter in his chest— pure joy at being able to freely kiss Kevin at any time— has calmed itself and left him feeling light.

Kevin's words are truer than he knows. FP might have brought Joaquin to him for a reason, but now Joaquin has his own reasons (an endless amount, really) for staying. There's no place he'd rather be in this moment. His hands have captured Kevin's, heeding their ability to unbutton buttons and unzip zippers but he doesn't care about that. He's too busy getting lost in eyes that are only visible in his memory at this point. Too busy to think of the repercussions of his actions.

"Yeah," he whispers, bringing his hands up to kiss them, "you've got me."


End file.
